Mayuri's Mistake
by magicsmith
Summary: It's Mayuri's first meeting with his Captain and he's anxious to make a good impression. Who is the enchanting woman outside his Captain's office? Complete.


_Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters._

This story is set before the Bleach canon; way, way before the canon.

If you've read some of my other stories, you may know I'm not really a Mayuri Kurotsuchi fan, but this idea amused me, so I wrote it

**Mayuri's Mistake**

It was his first day as a fully fledged Shinigami, assigned to 12th Division. Though he thought he concealed it well, he could not ignore his excitement and pride; he'd been given a seat. Not 3rd or 4th seat, not yet. He was ranked 10th, but he wasn't one of those poor creatures who shuffled around in the lines, longing to rise to the honour of a ranking. He strutted out of the Academy, knowing he looked good in his new uniform as he'd spent a small amount of time, (an hour), in front of the mirror, adjusting the sash, admiring the drape of the cloth, persuading himself the uniform did not make him look fat; all the time wanting to impress his captain with his neat and professional appearance and expecting others to admire him as he walked past.

The time spent in front of the mirror had made him late. Hurrying a little, he made his way to the office of his Captain. Until now he had only seen the famed Kisuke Urahara from a distance, always accompanied by numerous people, always intent on his destination. Even in the Academy, Captain Urahara was a legend; the entire complement of Captains were, but for Mayuri, his Captain held the most fascination. Some of his work had been inspiring in its revolutionary use of technique and practical application of theory. Now he would have the chance to study with the master, the man who had perfected the gigai so that Shinigami could walk in the human world in earthly form.

As he turned into the hallway, he stopped as he noticed someone standing outside the office and he caught his breath. It was a living goddess he beheld, leaning gracefully against the wall. He let his eyes drink in her tall lean figure, the dusky skin, the dark hair and the yellow eyes. Even though she was standing still she radiated movement and life and he walked toward her drawn by her presence. He checked that his uniform was correctly adjusted, smoothed his hair and took a deep breath. It was time to impress and he decided to use his important pace. The one that made him feel that everyone knew he was on major business and would watch him pass by with curiosity plain in their expressions. At least that's what he thought; he'd never checked because that would diminish the impact. Drawing closer to the living deity, he noticed she was wearing the uniform of 2nd Division, without the head covering, but no insignia, nothing to indicate she held any rank. Who could she be? He smiled at her, hoping that her lips would stretch in a dazzling smile that would be the starting point of their life together.

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She glanced at the person approaching, disinterest plain in her face. What was with that self important walk? Did he know how ridiculous he looked pacing heavily? It made him appear to be waddling and the uniform made him look fat.

He was unprepossessing; a person without any outstanding features, commonplace. He looked like one of the many people she encountered daily, but this one was smiling at her, his eyes intent on her own. Had she met him before? If she had, she would have forgotten him almost immediately. He had the look of a recent graduate, all enthusiastic arrogance and full of self-importance with the repressed excitement that faded so quickly with experience. Had she taught one his classes, filling in at one time when she was bored with her duties?

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"Hello," his voice ended on an unfortunate squeak.

"Calm down, she's a Shinigami like you. We're all meant to work together. Stop being nervous and ask her a question. Say anything," were his thoughts as she nodded at him slightly.

"Anyth…. Um. Is this Captain Urahara's office? I'm his new 10th seat." His voice had returned to normal and he tried to deepen it somewhat to overcome the unfortunate earlier squeak.

His mind was instructing him with new commands. "That's right; impress her with your seat immediately. That should get her attention and maybe she might pay attention to you now she knows that you're not ordinary."

She only nodded again in answer to the question and inspected her fingernails, not even looking at him.

"My name is Mayuri Kurotsuchi," he persisted. She'd have to answer him sometime, otherwise that would be rude and it would mean that his new goddess had feet of clay. It could be that 2nd Division were not allowed to talk to other people, or she was shy. He didn't know.

"When did you receive your assignment? Was it yesterday or this morning?" was the dry response.

Her voice was husky and thrilled him with the undertone of sensuality that he perceived. She must like him if she wanted to know how long he had been a Shinigami. He took a deep breath before he replied, determined to remain calm. "This morning. I've received it and came here pretty soon afterward. I want to meet the Captain as soon as possible." He was bending the truth a little about his quick departure to meet Captain Urahara.

She raised an eyebrow at him. Was she mocking him? No, she must just be interested in what he was saying. It was almost frightening to have those beautiful eyes look at him. None of the other women he had met exuded this air of combined power and raw sexuality. The silence lengthened as he waited for her to respond, but she said nothing and returned her gaze to her fingernails.

"Are you waiting for someone?" He felt he must continue the conversation, but then realised what a dumb question it was. Why would this beauty be lounging against this particular wall unless she was waiting for someone. Had some fool stood her up? Was that why she seemed so disinterested, because she was heartbroken and trying to hide her pain? This way of thinking was foolish. No man would be so brainless to keep her waiting for him.

"Yeah, I'm waiting for someone," was her laconic reply. She was now rubbing her nails on the front of her uniform.

"Have you been waiting long?" Wrong question. Would she admit it if she had been waiting a long time? He'd better think of something better to say. "Do you like being in 2nd Division? I hear the Captain is amazing, but I've never seen her."

An odd smile crossed her features. "Oh, yes, she's amazing all right. Amazingly stupid sometimes."

He gasped at her comment. She was insulting her Captain! Wasn't that something that could get her punished? He quickly glanced around to make certain that no one could have overheard her regrettable statement. "I don't think you should say things like that. If anyone heard, they might get the wrong idea. I'm sure you admire your Captain greatly, as does everyone in your Division. I hear she's a Master of Shun-po."

The 2nd Division Shinigami covered her mouth with her hand. Was she yawning, or trying to hide a smile? "Yes, I've heard that too," she said lightly from behind her hand. "Aren't you going to knock on the door? I thought you were here to meet your Captain and I know he's in there."

"Damn. I must look like a complete moron. I was talking about meeting the Captain and all I've done is try to impress this woman. Maybe I should ask her if she would like to drink tea with me. It's only tea and that way I can get to know her better," Mayuri thought, wanting to keep the conversation going.

"Oh. Yeah." He hesitated but then decided to follow through. "After I finish here, would you like to have a cup of tea with me; to help me celebrate my new position?"

The smile that spread across her face was not hidden by the hand this time. Could it be possible that she'd hoped he would ask her out? It was the work of one sentence to make him see that his hope was badly placed.

"Sorry. I've already told you that I am waiting for someone and I know he won't be long, now. Here, I'll knock on the door for you. Don't be shy. Captain Urahara doesn't bite, well not often." As she tapped on the door, the sly smile on her face confused Mayuri.

What did she mean that the Captain bit? Was he rabid or vicious? He hadn't heard any rumours about that. The only persistent rumour he had heard about Captain Urahara was he had a rather peculiar sense of humour. Did biting fit into the peculiar sense of humour?

The door swung open and a head covered with thick white hair emerged. His eyes searched and found Mayuri, ignoring the woman who stood there. "You must be my new 10th seat. Come in, come in. I've been waiting for you." The door was pulled wide and Mayuri entered his Captain's office.

His eyes widened. This was just an office. There was no evidence of scientific paraphernalia or ongoing experiments. Was he in the right place?

"I keep my research separate to my official quarters, I'm sure you understand. I don't want to accidentally destroy the paperwork if I make a mistake. You'll be shown where the research area is situated shortly. Here is the key to your assigned quarters which are located in the next street. The address is on the key. I meet with my seated officers once every two days to hand out new assignments and check how their work is progressing. I expect you to be punctual when attending the meetings. In this envelope is your first assigned task. As this is your first task I have asked my Assistant Captain Tessai Tsukabishi to supervise. I'm sure it's not necessary, but he does like supervising people, so I let him. You may call me Captain Urahara, Sir or Captain. How do you prefer to be addressed?"

"I'm used to being called Mayuri, but should I change that?" Now he couldn't even decide what he wanted to be called. This is not the way to impress a Captain. Would it sound better if people called him Kurotsuchi? It did sound like a more powerful name. Was the Captain making a point when he said he expected him to be punctual? Had he noticed he was late?

"It's up to you. I'll call you Mayuri until you decide." Captain Urahara said, not appearing to care about the indecision. He stood up and extended his hand. Mayuri looked at it and with some hesitation shook it. He wasn't used to that type of contact, but these Western customs were becoming popular in the Seireitei. "Welcome to 12th Division. You were chosen for this Division because you show an aptitude for research. I'm sure Tessai will show around. If you have any problems see either Tessai or me, immediately. Problems do not go away if you ignore them. We'll be having a welcome party for all our new Division members at 7.00 pm tonight. I expect to see you there, on time."

"I'm also good at kido. I know 37 of the 99 forms," Mayuri said, anxious to make a good impression and smarting slightly at the second mention of being on time. Not many people in the Academy had mastered as many forms of kido and he was very proud of his achievement.

Captain Urahara opened his mouth, preparing to reply but he paused at the sound of someone knocking on the door. "That must be Tessai. I've been expecting him." He gestured to Mayuri to open the door.

The man standing outside was talking to the dark haired goddess who was smiling at him. This must be the man she was waiting for. He was tall, imposing with glasses and dark hair but he wasn't very good looking, at least not to Mayuri. If she had been waiting for an Assistant Captain, the beautiful one wouldn't be interested in a 10th seat. He felt a stab of disappointment as the Assistant Captain entered the room and they were introduced. Clasping the Assistant Captain's hand as they shook hands, he felt a surge of jealousy. The guy had a strong grip, he was an Assistant Captain and was dating the goddess outside.

"Hello Assistant Captain Tessai," Mayuri said politely.

"Actually, it's Assistant Captain Tsukabishi. And you're Mayuri, correct? You're a little late." The gentle correction stung.

"Tessai will show you around. Did you know he's mastered all 99 forms of kido? It's an incredible feat and I don't know anyone else who could manage it. I have to go now, I'm late for an appointment," Urahara said getting to his feet. His impatience to leave was noticeable.

Mayuri felt even more humiliated. He'd boasted of his achievements in mastering kido and this Assistant Captain knew all forms. Could he ever hope to compete?

"Are you brining Captain Shihoin to the welcome party?" Assistant Captain Tsukabishi asked before Urahara left.

"No. She's probably going to chastise me for making her wait so long, but then I always enjoy her punishments. I don't know why she persisted in waiting outside and why she decided to dress like an ordinary member of her Division today. She said something about making her new members feel more at ease if she put aside some of the formality. Who would think she's the head of a noble house." Captain Urahara had opened the door.

"Kisuke, you're talking nonsense, again. I will chastise you, but would you prefer it in public or private? The goddess, Captain Shihoin was rebuking Captain Urahara as he left the room. In answer, he took her hand in his and pressed the palm to his lips and they walked away together.

Mayuri felt a wave of nausea overtake him. She wasn't the girlfriend of the Assistant Captain; his goddess was Yoruichi Shihoin, Captain of the 2nd Division and he'd tried to impress her. He'd asked her out for tea!

The Assistant Captain gave him an amused glance. "Don't worry. We all make mistakes on our first day," Tessai said seeing the expression on Mayuri's face. "I didn't take offence and I don't think the Captain noticed, well not much."

Mayuri looked at him, the feelings of horror, embarrassment, fear and anger combining in a stomach churning emotional assault. What was he talking about? Then he remembered his blunder with the Assistant Captain's name. That was only a tiny error compared to his other mistakes today: his late arrival to meet his Captain; the late arrival causing Captain Shihoin to wait for Captain Urahara; boasting of his kido abilities and trying to go out with the 2nd Division Captain. This did not augur well for his future. How many CLM's could he make in one day?

**The End.**

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_Author's Note:_

CLM Career Limiting Move. Warning, do not try this at work. Example of a CLM: Your boss makes you angry for some reason. To vent your frustration you write a nasty email, just to get it out of your system, and then accidentally hit the send button. Ooops, CLM. XD

This story is complete and there will be no second chapter.

This idea came to me as I was sitting in the bath, looking at my toenails, as you do, and wondered what Kurotsuchi might have been like when he first graduated from the Academy. I decided that he was probably very naïve, because it would be funny and it would be a distinct contrast to how he currently appears.

I hope you enjoyed it. Please review.

MS


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